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Who should the USMNT try to schedule this year?

USAPortugalTraining (ISIPhotos.com)

By IVES GALARCEP

If the buzz from the 2014 World Cup had you excited about seeing the U.S. Men’s National Team in action, the recent news that a proposed friendly against Colombia won’t take place probably has you bummed out as the USMNT faces the prospect of no high-profile matches the rest of this year.

As it stands, road friendlies against Czech Republic in September, and Ireland in November, are all that can be found on the official USMNT schedule, with a rumored friendly against Ecuador slated for October (a friendly now officially set for Oct. 10 in Connecticut).

None of those three friendlies elicit a ton of excitement, and it is fair to assume U.S. Soccer was banking on the Colombia friendly to give U.S. fans the high-profile opponent they were hoping to see this year.

With Colombia now out, the pressure is on U.S. Soccer to find a quality opponent for the October fixture window, and in my recent Goal.com column, I suggest it is the perfect time to have the USMNT face Mexico again.

Yes, the CONCACAF powers do face each other quite often, having just met back in April in Arizona, but with the buzz from the World Cup exciting fans for both teams, now would be a good time to have them renew acquaintances and see how they stack up heading into a new World Cup cycle.

Right now, neither team has a match scheduled for Oct. 10th, which is why I suggest that date as the perfect time for USA and Mexico to meet. Whether or not U.S. Soccer and the Mexican Federation agree is another matter.

What do you think about the prospect of another USA-Mexico match? Think it’s too soon after the last meeting? Think it’s the perfect time considering how well both teams did at the World Cup? Where would you like to see them play?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Not Mexico again. I don’t want a repeat of the controversy with the fans at the 2011 Gold Cup. That would be disastrous for the sport just when it’s really taking off in the country.

    Maybe Costa Rica or a friendly rematch against Belgium? The latter would surely generate interest in the United States as well as internationally. And both teams would be super motivated.

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  2. Crossing my fingers hoping to hear we get some friendlies against India, Lesotho, and Myanmar. We need to play top quality

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  3. Over the past couple of years the USMNT has been able to schedule a number of quality teams for friendlies. Most have been European sides. I think it would be good to schedule more matches against South American and African sides. Unless we ever get seeded the probability is high that we’ll face group World Cup matches against at least One African Team and One South American.
    More than anything else we need to focus on scheduling countries who are near the US in World Ranking or better. We’ve got to avoid scheduling cream puff teams….we get enough of that in the Gold Cup and early rounds of WC qualifying. Teams in the top 40 should be the norm….not those above 50.

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  4. Is it just me, or does that photo make the team look like it’s looking at something disgusting? Or waiting for a bus? Or wondering where the rest of Geoff Cameron’s hair went?

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    • They are looking at Alexis Lalas set up across the field for announcing the game for ESPN. The same guy who said that they wouldn’t make it out of the group of death at the World Cup. If you look at Diskerud real closely it looks like he is saying what is that schmuck doing here? While Wondolowski is whispering into Beckerman’s ear “I bet I can peg his head first with a ball before you can.”

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  5. Why not Costa Rica? Also, I was under the impression we wouldn’t have time to get anyone lined up to replace Colombia because it’s a FIFA International day. It’d be a shame to miss out on getting some of the younger guys into the fold.

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    • Although i think we should avoid concacaf teams if possible, Los Ticos are on a completly new level than ever before. A lot of big transfers after the Cup and a team in really high spirits. Would make for a good game

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  6. South American teams for sure should be on our list to prepare for 2016. Better if it’s a SA team that reached the last 16.

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  7. to much of anything is to much. US Mexico games arer great but you dont want to waterdown the product with too many friendlies, it cheapens the rivalry imo.

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  8. Please, anyone but Mexico. We’ve played them a ton lately (I believe 5 times in the last 3 years) and are likely to face them next year in the Gold Cup, possibly in 2016 and again home and away in the hex in 2017. That’s more than enough.

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  9. Mexico again? We will have alot of chances to beat them down again. We should get more South americans teams that what excites us maybe even a Ghana rematch but not Mexico. THats just wash rinse and repeat

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  10. the article is basically Ives pleading for a USA-Mexico game in NJ so he has one less game to travel to this fall.. jk NJ would be a good place to host that game..

    SBI, any chance that one of these October game is used as the Landon Donovan send off game? id say vs. Mexico at the Stub Hub Center would be the ideal LD game.

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  11. Argentina, Brazil, or Chile from South America
    Ghana or Ivory Coast from Africa
    Italy, Belgium, or France from Europe.
    nothing against CONCACAF or Asia (except Mexico of course)

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  12. before anyone else suggests a European or African nation please realize that they are ALL booked with continental qualifying into next year (also mentioned in Ives’ article)! brazil, peru and japan are booked as well. Australia and Uruguay available in November.

    best opponents that i see are still available in October are Chile, Korea Rep., Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador.

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  13. If you are talking about 2014 into 2015, I would love to see more South American teams. I think it would be great preparation for the Copa América Centenario in 2016. Let’s get some good looks at the teams we might be facing, with a shot at winning that tournament in our neck of the woods.

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    • agreed. esp with European qualifying going into next fall I expect us to have a number of games vs. South American teams in 2014-15

      i think that we should try to get one round of games in South America too! @Brazil and @Chile would be great!

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  14. Belgium mother f@ckrs !!!!!!!
    Redemption people, kilnsi prove us wrong.
    Just like Mexico with holland, USA vs Belgium in Belgium or in Chicago.
    I would like these teams in this order, Belgium, Argentina, holland. What could have happen in Brazil.

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  15. Bring in Italy. I think that would be a good game to schedule at home. That or Argentina. Of course there are plenty of good teams to schedule, its a matter of if they have already scheduled games that could conflict with us now.

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